Archive: Jun 2008

Soldiers from the Joint Multinational Readiness Center Aviation Detachment welcomed nine little visitors from the Hohenfels School Age Services (SAS) program to Hohenfels Army Airfield for a whirlwind tour.

Thanks to Army Family Covenant initiatives, a room at the Kelley Child Development Center in U.S. Army Garrison Stuttgart, Germany, will be converted to an infant/toddler room and enable the center to provide hourly care for children 6 weeks to 18 months old.

GRAFENWOEHR, Germany Aca,!" The Army Family Covenant, signed by U.S. Army Garrison Grafenwoehr senior leaders in November, has made good on a promise to deliver family services and programs, all supported by some of the $1.4 billion allotted Army-wide this year.

MIESAU, Germany Aca,!" Snagging fleeing suspects and seeking explosives were two of numerous war-fighting skills that 36 teams demonstrated at the 2008 U.S. Army Europe Military Working Dog Competition.

BAMBERG, Germany (June 17, 2008) -- When the commander and command sergeant major of the 38th Personnel Services Battalion cased their unitAca,!a,,cs colors on Warner Barracks here June 11, it was not just the end of a unit. It was the end of an era. The 38th was the last personnel services battalion in the active component of the Army, and its inactivation represents the next step in the transformation of Army personnel operations, said Col. Richard L. Shepard, commander of the 38th.

YONGSAN GARRISON, Republic of Koea Aca,!" Pfc. Jade Lopez, of YongsanAca,!a,,cs 1st Replacement Company, serves up lunch at the Three KingdomAca,!a,,cs Inn Dining Facility June 16. She and other members of YongsanAca,!a,,cs Better Opportunities for Single and Unaccompanied Soldiers filled plates as a BOSS volunteer activity.

YONGSAN GARRISON, Republic of Korea Aca,!" Summer weather in Korea is wet, hot and humid, and can be dangerous. As we enter Monsoon season, there are some important actions you need to take. With a great amount of rainfall occurring in a short amount of time, we face the same challenges year-after-year with flood-prone areas across the Garrison.

Staff Sgt. Julian R. Wiggins and Spc. Daniel Farrier are winners of the 2008 Best Warrior competitions for Medical Command.
Wiggins, noncommissioned officer in charge of the Fort Jackson, S.C., Veterinary Treatment Facility, and Farrier, a pharmacy technician at Stuttgart, Germany, Army Health Clinic, emerged victorious from a grueling five days of physical and mental challenges.
The competition was held at Fort Sam Houston and Camp Bullis, Texas. All competitors first passed a 100-question written test and wrote an essay about current events. They passed the Army Physical Fitness Test, were questioned by boards of senior NCOs and demonstrated marksmanship with M-16 rifles. They negotiated an urban orienteering course both by day and night and completed an obstacle course. In tactical scenarios, they treated and evacuated simulated casualties of a roadside bomb, then cleared a building under fire. Finally, the competitors squared off in a combatives tournament.
Aca,!A"It was tough, one of the best IAca,!a,,cve ever been to. You had to be in shape,Aca,!A? said Wiggins.
Aca,!A"There was a lot of rucking. You had to be physically and mentally tough,Aca,!A? agreed Farrier.
Corporals and higher ranks were in the NCO competition while specialists and lower ranks competed as Soldiers.
Competition actually began last year when local units selected their best Soldiers and NCOs. Local winners competed in each of six regional medical commands. The regional winners then joined representatives of Dental Command, Veterinary Command, the AMEDD Center and School and Medical Research and Materiel Command for the finals at Fort Sam Houston.
Aca,!A"We conduct these competitions to recognize the best Soldiers, but it is primarily about training Aca,!" it is not just a competition. We expect each candidate to be well trained when they come, and better trained when they leave. They should take what they learn here back to their units,Aca,!A? said MEDCOM Command Sergeant Major, Command Sgt. Maj. Althea C. Dixon.
Dixon was Soldier of the Year of the old Health Services Command in 1983.
Aca,!A"ItAca,!a,,cs tougher and much more realistic than when I was here,Aca,!A? she said. Aca,!A"These Soldiers are being tested on situations they might actually encounter.Aca,!A?
Aca,!A"I want to lead by example for my Soldiers,Aca,!A? said Wiggins. Aca,!A"IAca,!a,,cm going to send them to war, I wanted to show them I had done this.Aca,!A?
Wiggins has been in the Army 11 years and is Air Assault and Combat Lifesaver qualified. He lists combatives as one of his hobbies, and it showed as he won the NCO tournament.
Farrier has been in the Army three years and has qualified as a Certified Pharmacy Technician. He keeps in shape by boxing and playing Rugby for his post team.
Farrier said winning the title was a personal challenge he set for himself. He said anyone competing at this level has to have a plan and stick to it.
Aca,!A"DonAca,!a,,ct let anyone tell you that you canAca,!a,,ct do it,Aca,!A? he added.
Wiggins and Farrier each received an Army Commendation Medal, a trophy, a $1,000 Savings Bond, MEDCOM coins and certificates and the right to request their assignment of choice. They will compete in the Army Best Warrior competition later this year.

An industrial complex in Iraq has quadrupled its employment and productivity, and a team from Multinational Division Center is helping the companies keep their labor force healthy.
Capt. Rory Carolan, senior veterinarian and agriculture advisor with the 3rd Infantry Division's civil affairs team, and Soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 10th Field Artillery, treated more than 250 donkeys employed in the absence of motorized vehicles at the Narhwan Brick Factory Complex.

Col. Vivian T. Hutson has broken new ground several times during her career as an Army dietitian, so it seems fitting that the Department of Defense honored her with one of its first "Female Trailblazer" awards. She is among 14 military women composing the first group selected for this award, which recognizes women in the military with significant accomplishments in their fields.

Capt. Jody BrownAca,!a,,cs barely 5-foot-tall stature easily is dwarfed by the sea of infantrymen. The Army nurseAca,!a,,cs body armor and helmet make her look almost childlike, and her M4 rifle is more than half her size. Brown, a registered nurse, supports the 25th Infantry DivisionAca,!a,,cs 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat TeamAca,!a,,cs units with immunizations and travels to wherever the Soldiers are Aca,!" even outside the wire.

Sgt. Heather Springer stands with the equipment she carried during missions in Iraq as a flight medic with Company C (Air Ambulance), 2nd-135th General Support Aviation Battalion. Springer was named DUSTOFF Medic of the Year.

Col. Gary Vroegindewey, U.S. Army Veterinary Corps and director of the DoD Veterinary Service Activity, commissions his son Staff Sgt. Andrew Vroegindewey (68E - Dental Tech) to second lieutenant in the Medical Service Corps. Together, father and son have more than 42 years of military service.

FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas Aca,!" U.S. Army South played host last week to the Conference of American Armies, an organization of 20 member armies, five observer armies and two international military organizations that seeks to promote cohesion, improve hemispheric security and strengthen inter-American friendships on an army-to-army basis.

Delegates representing units from around the globe came together June 16-19 for the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command's Army Family Action Plan Conference. The delegates discussed, prioritized and voted on critical Family issues to send forward to the Department of the Army in hopes for solutions to the issues.

Maj. Gen. David A. Rubenstein was sworn is as Chief of the U.S. Army Medical Service Corps on Jun. 9 in San Antonio, Texas, becoming the first MSC Chief to wear two stars. He was promoted to major general on April 14, 2008, and also serves as the ArmyAca,!a,,cs Deputy Surgeon General. He was selected for these leadership positions because of his considerable command experience at every level of the U.S. Army medical system.

Secretary of the Army Pete Geren joins Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty at the Minnesota State Capitol building for the Army Family Community Covenant signing ceremony, June 16. Geren visited with National Guard recruiters in Roseville, Minn. following the ceremony.

On a surprise trip from Iraq, Spc. Anthony W. Avant, Jr., 19, visited his mother, Master Sgt. Veronica L. Avant, at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait. He serves in Mosul with the 137th Quarter Master Company and she serves with the 311th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) in Kuwait.

MANAGUA, Nicaragua (June 11, 2008) - Military and civilian officials representing 22 countries from Latin America and the CaribbeanAca,!"along with regional and international organizations such as the United Nations, the Conference of American Armies, Organization of American States, Conference of Central American Armed ForcesAca,!"met in Managua, Nicaragua this week to participate in the annual multinational exercise Peace Keeping Operation North (PKO-North).

STUTTGART, Germany Aca,!" When senior leaders worldwide began signing the Army Family Covenant late last year, they pledged to expand the support given to SoldiersAca,!a,,c families. To back up the commitment, they promised $1.4 billion for Soldier and family programs.

FORWARD OPERATING BASE HAMMER, Iraq (June 16, 2008) -- Soldiers with the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, donated water and school supplies to two internally displaced Iraqi families at the al-Nabaha School complex in Narhwan, Iraq, June 5. Aca,!A"This area of Narhwan is one of the (poorer) sections,Aca,!A? said 2nd Lt. Guy Allsup, 3rd platoon leader with the 2nd BCT's Company C, 4th Battalion, 27th Field Artillery. Aca,!A"To be able to get out there and help out these families ... shows that we really are listening to their needs.Aca,!A?

As part of the ArmyAca,!a,,cs 233rd Birthday celebration, Lt. Col. Jeffrey Fletcher, commander of U.S. Army Garrison Mannheim, Germany, visited the Child Development Center June 12 to read "Happy Birthday Army,Aca,!A? a book by Army Youth Services.

CAMP TAJI, Iraq (June 16, 2008) -- Some 12th Combat Aviation Brigade Soldiers have chosen to re-enlist on the flight line, some from the top of a building and others have done it in aircraft in flight. Regardless of the location, those Soldiers who chose to stay in the Army did something else -- they helped the 12th CAB retention program to reach its reenlistment goals ahead of the rest of U.S. Army, Europe. With more than three months left in this fiscal year, the 12th's career counselors and retention NCOs have already reenlisted 539 Soldiers -- and they're still going strong -- while dishing out nearly $5 million in bonuses.

FORT HOOD, Texas Aca,!" Aca,!A"This is about honing their skills so that theyAca,!a,,cre able to close with the enemy whenever they have to regardless of the environment,Aca,!A? said Lt. Col. Quinton Arnold, the commander of 3rd Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, who hails from West Columbia, Texas.

Baby boomers who populate the top federal management ranks have started to retire, and to fill the leadership gap the Army's Chief Information Officer kicked off a unique program in 2001 to ensure that it has new leaders ready to step in

Picatinny items on this yearAca,!a,,cs list include the Objective Gunner Protection Kit, XM982 Excalibur Precision Guided Extended Range Artillery Projectile, M110 7.62 mm Semi-Automatic Sniper System and the Picatinny Blast Shield for the Light Armored Vehicle.
All the inventions are designed to keep Soldiers safer when dealing with potentially volatile situations.
Since the Army Greatest Inventions program began in 2002, Picatinny teams have won 17 out of a possible 60 Army greatest invention positions. This is more than any other Army laboratory or organization.

The U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center has been working with MATTRACKS, a Karlstad, Minnesota-based company, to develop a chassis and electric drive system with superior off-road performance.

Franz Sauer of Monmouth County joined classmates and local colleagues at the 46th annual Monmouth Junior Science Symposium. Sauer, Jay Feldman, Jeffrey Hart and Andrew Shum of High Technology High School were four of 10 finalists in the paper presentation for this notable regional science fair.

For 12 weeks a year, Army Maj. (ret.) Dan Turner returns a portion of what a lifetime in the Army has taught him. He volunteers with the Officer Candidate School to help Soldiers become new officers.
Turner retired at Fort Benning, Ga., and is a member of the Army Research Lab's Human Research and Engineering Directorate. His work supports the U.S. Army Infantry School through the evaluation of new weapons and equipment for the infantry Soldier, and conducts human factor evaluations of new equipment for program managers.

The U.S. Army Research Laboratory has partnered with the State University of New York at Albany to speed development and commercialization of nanotechnology-enabled sensors and electronic devices that will play a critical role on the future battlefield.

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan (June 11, 2008) Ac"a,! A week of changes at the top ended here today with the 401st Army Field Support Brigade change of command as
Col. Jon K. Buonerba accepted the brigade colors from Brig. Gen. James C. McConville, Deputy Commanding General for Support, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault).

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan (June 10, 2008) Ac"a,! Leadership of the U.S. Army Sustainment Command battalion charged with supporting combined joint task force operations in the Operation Enduring Freedom area of operations passed from one experienced leader, trainer and maintainer to another in a ceremony here today.

The 2nd Brigade Combat Team conducted a fire support coordination exercise June 2-6 at Range 48 here.
The purpose of the exercise was to train and validate company commanders, fire support officers and joint tactical air controllers in planning and executing indirect fires, close combat attack and close air support.

The pitch: a return to normalcy. The plan: an unorthodox method of extending a gesture of friendship to the citizens of Hawijah. The intent: to demonstrate that coalition forces are in the district to help rebuild. The approach: the most recognized sport in the country Aca,!" soccer.

A new Aca,!A"hospital report cardAca,!A? by the Department of Veterans Affairs gives the departmentAca,!a,,cs health care system high marks, with VA facilities often outscoring private-sector health plans in standards commonly accepted by the health care industry.

It was during this week in Army history on June 21, 1860, that the Signal Corps became a branch of the United States Army with Congress approving the appointment of a single signal officer to the War Department. While the Signal CorpsAca,!a,,c modest beginnings lay in a wigwag form of communication, it was not long before the importance of photography as a tactical and historical medium was recognized and soon employed as a Signal Corps function by the end of the nineteenth century...

Family, friends and fellow Soldiers gathered at the Major General Warren D. Hodges Armory at Aberdeen Proving Ground May 31 to welcome home more than 45 members of the Maryland Army National GuardAca,!a,,cs Company B, 3rd Battalion, 126th Aviation Regiment, after a year-long tour in Afghanistan.

NATO AIR BASE Geilenkirchen, Germany Aca,!" The tri-border NATO community here celebrated the graduation of AFNORTH International High SchoolAca,!a,,cs Class of 2008 Aca,!" and so did some parents currently deployed to sites in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere.

There are all kinds of stressors to deal with while youAca,!a,,cre on deployment. I myself deal with stress from work, lack of sleep, being away from home and recently going through a divorce. Then there are all the little things that stress me out on a daily basis.

CAMP VICTORY, Baghdad, Iraq (June 16, 2008) -- When Iraqi Police and coalition forces arrived at the Zainab GirlsAca,!a,,c School in Hurriyah June 12, they were met by the smiling faces of more than 50 children and their caretakers. Aca,!A"This makes it all worthwhile,Aca,!A? said 1st Sgt. Thomas Gray of the 64th Military Police Company, after the police officers handed out boxes of school supplies and toys to the students, many of whom are orphans. The Hurriyah IP brought the backpacks, school supplies and soccer balls to help show families in the area the IP are here to help protect and serve the community.